Ultimate Barnes X Test

[Patriot_1776]

The title may have been misleading, it was not a real "test."  I was finally able to recover 2 Barnes X Triple Shock bullets.  I shot them from my 300 Weatherby Mag. at approx. 3100 fps.  They hit a dirt embankment at 100 yds, which was fluffy, yet had somewhat packed dirt under it.  Anyway, the unfired weight of these bullets av. 180 gr.  The bullets recovered weighed 175.4 & 176.1 grains.  That is 97%> weight retention after being fired from a magnum and hitting dirt on top of that.  Try that with your magnums w/ other bullets of "tough" construction using lead as a base core.  You'll definitely see a great difference in the way they open up, or splatter, and their weight retention.  The Triple Shocks also opened up from .308" to .669"; their length went from 1.39" to .524".  Remember, these were fired from a magnum and drove into the dirt at 100 yds.  In my opinion, that is really tough construction.  I have fired over 75 BX TS bullets and these are the only ones I have recovered; the rest drove too deep to find.  Mind you, these bullets are specifically designed to offer excellent expansion (Barnes trademark is four sharp petals) and on game performance (maximum energy transfer and penetration coupled with bone smashing capabilities) for hunting.  BTW, could you tell me if it is possible to attach a pic of them here from off my hard drive(like doing an email,) or do I have to have them on a URL of some sort?  As you may have noticed,  I am a Barnes X fan :grin:  and will always recommend their bullets for many hunting applications.  Patriot

P.S.  These bullets are really accurate, as I have stated already on this forum, I have been able to get a three shot group of 7/16" at 100 yds.  This was for all those who heard rumors about BX bullets not being accurate due to their solid copper construction and their not having a polymer tip, as I too heard that rumor.

[Grubbs]

The problem I have with the x bullets is they are too long for my liking, leading to compressed loading in some cases.  I also did not like the excessive copper fouling in my barrel.  Too much of a pain in the #&^@ uin my opinion.  I will have to admit they worked well on the 3 deer I took with them, although I never recovered the bullet (pass-throughs).  Glad they work for you though.

[Questor]

I haven't hunted with the Barnes bullets yet, but will probably do so when I need a bullet for bigger and tougher animals than my caliber is made for. Aside from the good expansion, I have read that the penetration is the best. I would like to verify this in the field.

[Patriot_1776]

I also did not like the excessive copper fouling in my barrel.

When you used the Barnes X bullets, did you make sure ALL the prior fouling was removed before you fired the X bullets?  If there is remaining copper from other bullet brands, that was your trouble... The other brands use a copper gilding metal (usually 95% copper, and 5% zinc) to keep bullet integrity up I believe.  The fouling from the gilding metal easily strips the pure copper from the X bullet.  I say, try the bullets again after you remove ALL fouling in the barrel.  My favorite barrel cleaner for rifles is Barnes CR-10, it REALLY gets the copper from all bullets out.  When I say clean, I mean no, zero, nada, blue is on the patches after you run them through.  I know, that is time consuming, but it is necessary.  And lastly, being the Barnes bullets use PURE copper, the fouling comes out in fewer patches than other bullets.  Also, I have a theory that since they use pure copper they are softer, therefore, they reduce barrel wear.  In my experiences with my 300 Wby. after a three shot group, I run av. 4-7 wet patches with CR-10.  After each patch is run through, let sit for 30 sec.  After the last patch that came out the cleanest, let sit for 10 sec, then run one dry.  And that does it for the copper fouling.  My knowledge of the gilding metal problem comes on loan from the Barnes reloading manual and my own experiences.  Just my  :money:  on the issue of fouling.   Patriot

P.S.  The Barnes Triple Shock bullets, as you all may have known, have rings cut into them.  This allows one to load a couple grains higher, giving you more performance than bullets of smooth body design.  That is a real plus too.

[Grubbs]

What I noticed was how much extra time it took to clean the barrel after shooting x bullets.  The barrel was cleaned prior to and afterwards, and it took much longer to clean afterwards.  I had most trouble with loading these long bullets as I mentioned in getting compressed loads with the extra long bullets.  I'm sure it is a great bullet, but on deer sized game I do not see the need for this type of bullet anyway in spite of the problems I had in loading.  They shot accurate enough though, they just seemed to be more trouble than they are worth.  I did use the Barnes cleaner.

[Squeeze]

I won't speak to fouling, since this has much to do with barrel condition, among other
factors, but I can say that the accuracy, and the on game performance, have been
impressive, for me.  I load .308Win, for a Savage Striker bolt action pistol(14" Barrel),
and was in search of a light bullet, to get better velocity.  I tried several 130 to 150 grain
bullets, from different bullet suppliers, and found a load, that pushed a 130 gr. Barnes X,
at 2775fps, out of my 14" barrel, with MOA accuracy.  I was disappointed with the  
accuracy/consistency of some Nosler, and Sierra, bullets, in this gun.  Last fall, I harvested
a management deer with the pistol, as a test case before using it as my trophy deer gun.
At 40 yards, where some light  bullets fail to penetrate, due to violent expansion, the  
X bullet vaporized about 4" of tissue, just under the hide, due to initial energy transfer.
The vitals were shocked into jello, and there was a tumbling bullet exit wound, on the
opposite side of the entry wound.  So this bullet had excellent close range performance.
 
Going into this Barnes X bullet experiment, I had heard all of the opinions on poor  
expansion, fouling, inaccuracy, etc. etc.  I have now loaded Barnes X bullets in 300 WSM,  
.25-06 Rem.,and 308 Win., and in my experiences, I have yet to see poor expansion.  I have  
had some accuracy challenges with the XLC bullets, but they were no worse than
the accuracy of Nosler Partitions.  I am looking forward to testing some new TSX  
Barnes bullets, since the reviews are better on their accuracy.  And as for copper  
fouling, I break my barrels in, and copper clean them after about 30 round(10 three shot  
groups), and they have not shown any more fouling than the Nosler, Sierra, Hornady, and  
Speer bullets I shoot in these, and other rifles.  I am sure others may have had  
different experiences than these, but in the interest of fair and balanced, I thought
I'd better relate my experiences, with Barnes X bullets, which for the most part
have been very positive.  I am not a Barnes junkie, by the way.  I have Nosler,
Sierra, Hornady, and Speer brand bullets, in my bullet pile, and find all of these  
brands have their strong, and weak points, as does Barnes X bullets.  But when  
it comes to serious hunting, where I want expansion, penetration, and weight  
retention, I shoot Barnes X or soon Barnes TSX bullets.  I really want to see what
a 300 WSM driving a 165 gr Barnes TSX does on Rocky Mountain Elk.
 
Squeeze

[Elwood]

I also had a ultimate test of a X bullet.
I fired a 165 gr. X bullet into a bull elk at about 300 yds from a 300 H&H Magnum.  He was quartering away my bullet hit centered where the last rib meets the paunch. The bullet was recovered just under the hide in his neck. That is a long ways on a elk. The bullet had lost 1/2 a grain of weight on its journey and is 3/4" wide. I put in for bull elk for many years before being drawn so, I didnt want to scrimp on my bullets. They are expensive. I see no need for premium bullets for deer but for elk I wont use anything else. The accuracy with the X's was exactly the same as with 165 core-lokt.
Elwood P. Dowd

[Zachary]

I am a huge fan of the X Bullet, especially for use on hogs.  Keep in mind that the X bullet is finiky in certain guns, so accuracy varies.  However, in the rifles in which I use them, they are very accurate - MOA or better.

They really are very tough bullets - in fact, too tough for whitetails.  In a .30-06, I use 165 grains which is great for hogs, but too much for whitetails.  A 150 grainer is even a bit too much with this bullet.

Zachary

[Patriot_1776]

...but too much for whitetails. A 150 grainer is even a bit too much with this bullet.

You are shooting 'em too close Zachary! :-D       Patriot